1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions generally relate to a remote control system for a marine drive, and more particularly to an improved remote control system that controls an operational condition of a marine drive.
2. Description of Related Art
Marine drives such as, for example, outboard motors are typically disposed at a stern of an associated watercraft. Such outboard motors incorporate a propulsion device with a propeller for propelling the watercraft. An internal combustion engine typically is used to drive the propeller.
Typically, the engine has one or more throttle valves that regulate an amount of air delivered to one or more combustion chambers of the engine. A remote controller typically is placed in a cockpit of the watercraft to remotely operate the throttle valves. Such a remote controller typically has a lever pivotally affixed to a housing of the remote controller. The lever is connected to a throttle valve link including a throttle cable, for example, such that a driver can remotely operate the throttle valves. The throttle valve link can simultaneously move all the throttle valves. In some arrangements, the cable also connects the remote controller with a shift mechanism that changes the propeller among forward, neutral and reverse modes.
Recently, new control systems have replaced mechanical cables with electronic components starts replacing such a conventional mechanical control system. The new control system is an electrical control system that has, for example, a position sensor that senses a position of the lever, an actuator that actuates the throttle link, and a control device that controls the actuator based upon an output of the position sensor. That is, the throttle link is electrically operated through those components. For example, Japanese Patent Publication 2001-260986A discloses such an electrical control system.
A user of the watercraft can select either a watercraft adapted to the mechanical control system or a watercraft adapted to the electrical control system. Normally, watercrafts shipped from factories are equipped with a remote controller that is adapted to the mechanical control system. In order to provide the options, therefore, at least two types of outboard motors are necessary on the market, one adapted to the mechanical control system and another adapted to the electrical control system. This is more burdensome for manufactures of such outboard motors.